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Recovery work helps endangered cockatoo

Posted on July 30, 2008, 8:08pm and updated on July 31, 2008 at 12:07 pm

Recovery efforts are helping to save the endangered South East Red-tailed Black Cockatoo from extinction.

This year, during the annual count held in May, 1404 birds were counted compared with 801 in 2007, but the distinctive birds are not out of the danger zone yet.

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Recovery Team project coordinator Tania Rajic warned the higher count did not necessarily indicate a population increase, but was rather due to more volunteers and better organised events to help with counts.

Red-tailed Black CockatooShe said various plans and actions were in place to help secure a rosier future for the birds.

Some actions included better cooperation from farmers and the forestry industry to protect the declining habitat.

According to Ms Rajic, more farmers realise that unlike some other cockatoo species, Red-tails are no threat to their crops as they only feed on buloke and stringybark trees.

“Farmers play a very big role in their conservation and we are getting fantastic cooperation from them,” Ms Rajic said.

“We are working closely with landholders to protect important areas of habitat from overgrazing and we are encouraging them to access grants and incentives to replant and protect stringybarks and bulokes on their properties.”

The end results of much of the field research on Red-tails is targeted towards improving land management practices in their habitat such as the protection of large, hollow-bearing dead trees for nesting and fire regimes in blocks of stringybarks.

“We encourage the forestry industry to protect tree canopies from fires when they do back burning to help protect these birds’ habitat.”

Last weekend, students from the Frances Primary School were engaged into help protecting the Red-tail when they planted buloke trees near Frances.

Supported by the recovery team, the planting project was managed by Department of Heritage and Environment staff and funded by ElectraNet and the Native Vegetation Fund.

Ms Rajic said records of sightings of the South East Red-tailed Black Cockatoo were always welcomed and she encouraged people to report sightings to 1800 262 062.

For information on how to correctly identify these birds visit www.redtail.com.au.

ANELIA BLACKIE

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